Gypsies evicted from Merriott site

A gift of land to three villages in South Somerset is on course following the end of a four-year legal battle to evict a gypsy family living on it.Somerset County Council now plans to proceed with the transfer of a wooded beauty spot at Eggwood Hill, Lopen.It would mean Merriott, Hinton St George and Lopen parish councils own the land straddling their boundaries, now used as public exercise and relaxation space but previously a roadside highways chipping store.Cabinet Member Cllr David Huxtable said: "I'm pleased that the residents have the uninhibited use of Eggwood Hill again, and that we can resume the process of transferring the land to the three parish councils."For full report see this weeks Western Gazette.